Learning the Hard Way
by McRaider
Summary: We all know the teenage years can be tough, but when Steve stops himself from making what he believes is the ultimate mistake he must forgive himself. COMPLETE


Diagnosis Murder  
  
A Tough Way to Learn  
  
By: Vikki Lynn  
  
Email- Catcher1505@aol.com  
  
Summary-the teenage life is never easy, but poor Steve is about to learn the hard way.  
  
Warnings-there is one, but I'm not positive how to describe it without screwing up the entire story so lets just say it's not sex and there's not much bad language.  
  
All disclaimers apply  
  
Rated PG  
  
Feedback is always welcome  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------  
  
Steve slid into his father's den, acting as though he were sly, but his father saw it.  
  
"No," Mark simply said. Steve was confused instantly.  
  
"No what?"  
  
"I'm you father Steve, I know how you act when you want something. Whatever you want the answer is no."  
  
"But you don't even know what I was asking first."  
  
"Is it going to make any difference to me at all?"  
  
"It might, see Seth is having a party and well..."  
  
"No."  
  
"Why?" Steve demanded.  
  
"Because I said no, I don't like Seth, and I don't like you being around him."  
  
"But dad, please. It's only a couple of guys."  
  
"Define the couple of guys."  
  
"Patrick, Peter, James..." Steve said hoping to get some leeway.  
  
"No Steve," Steve looked at his father.  
  
"Dad, I'm seventeen, I'm almost a grown up. Why do you treat me like a little boy?!"  
  
"Steven, I said no end of story, I will not tolerate back talk in my home, you know that better than anyone!"  
  
"I don't care what you won't tolerate. You treat me like a baby. I'm not a baby any more dad. You have to let go some day!" Mark stood up and glared at the boy.  
  
"What part of No didn't you understand," Mark said his voice full of annoyance. Steve's eleventh grade English teacher had just called and Mark wasn't about the let the young man out of his sight for a second  
  
"That isn't fair."  
  
"Who said life was fair, grow up and get over it," Mark began to sit back down when he heard the name come from his son's mouth. It was a word that a son should and would never say to their father or parents.  
  
"I hope I did not just hear that word come from your mouth, because I know I raised my son better than that."  
  
"Some father you are; still treating your seventeen year old son like a baby!" With that, Steve ran out the room. Mark got up and looked at him leave, he heard the car pull out.  
  
"STEVEN!" Mark yelled, annoyed with his eldest child.  
  
"Steve just left, what happened?"  
  
"He came in and asked to go to Seth's party, he got mad when I said no we each said a few things and he left the room."  
  
"Daddy?" Carol asked coming out, she was dressed in her PJs and looked comfortable; Mark smiled and pulled her near him. Carol had been sick for nearly a week now and had been missing a lot of school lately, usually if one got sick then so did the other shortly after, Mark had been on the look out for his son getting sick with whatever Carol had  
  
"Did we wake you up honey?"  
  
"No daddy, its okay, I wanted something to drink any way. Where did Steve go?"  
  
"A party honey, now you should get back to sleep."  
  
"Okay, will he read me a story when he gets home?" the ten year old girl asked.  
  
"No honey, Steve will be home late, go back to sleep, I love you," Mark said kissing his daughter goodnight as she and her mother went upstairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Steve drank the rest of the beer, he had lost count of how much he had, the music was blasting and making his head spin out of control. He decided to go up stairs and get some air. As we walked outside, he heard people chanting fight. He decided the cops would be coming any minute and it was time for him to split. Steve got in the car and cursed when he jerked away from the curb. He began driving off and slowed down when the cops came towards him, but they flew past his car, he slowly made his way home. When he got in the house, he saw his father.  
  
"Enjoy your party?" Mark asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you enjoy the party?" He asked standing and looking at his son. Steve rolled his eyes.  
  
"It was fine," he said.  
  
"You smell like beer," Mark said.  
  
"Got a lot poured on me."  
  
"How much was poured in you?"  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
"What do I care? I'll tell you why I care, Steven! It's the fact that you blatantly disobeyed me, you took my car, you went to a party I specifically told you not to go to, you drank alcohol illegally, and then you drove home drunk! That's what it is to me. You endangered every single person out on that road tonight with your stupid, reckless actions, Steve. Every single person! If you want to behave like an idiot I can't stop you, but I can sure as hell see that you don't harm anybody else in the process! Give me your keys." Mark was yelling by the end and the sound drove knives through Steve's head.  
  
"I got home no problem," he yelled back. "Why don't you trust me?"  
  
"Because you took my car, you got drunk and you drove! I can't think of anything less trustworthy than that! You put your own life at risk, you put personal property--my personal property--at risk, and you put every other driver, every pedestrian at risk!"  
  
"Oh yeah, can't get in trouble, because any child of Mark Sloan is suppose to be perfect!" Steve bit.  
  
"I don't care whose son you are. You did something very stupid tonight. You could have been killed, how do you think that would have effected Carol or your mother, now give me your car keys!" Mark yelled again, trying to keep his voice from cracking with emotion.  
  
"You don't trust me! I'm nearly an adult, not some stupid little five year old you can wave your finger at!" His head was becoming fuzzy and he could feel bile rising in his throat.  
  
"You're darn right I don't trust you! You deliberately disobeyed me! If you want to be treated like an adult then you should act like one!"  
  
"I hate you!" Steve yelled. It hit Mark like a ton of bricks, but said nothing. Steve began to head towards his room, when he felt his father's hand on his shoulder. Steve whipped around and raised his hand, but he stopped, he looked into his father's eyes, seeing what he was about to do.  
  
"Oh Jesus!" Steve yelled then ran off to the bathroom. Mark sighed as he walked towards the bathroom door, and heard his young son getting sick. He walked into the room and got a damp cloth ready for his son. His son deserved punishment but just the look of him as Steve slowly put his head on his arms across the toilet seat told Mark that the boy didn't need a lecture, he need a father who cared about him more than anything.  
  
"Here put this on your head," Steve didn't refuse, it felt good to have something cool on his head. Steve pillowed his head with his arms as he leaned on the toilet seat. Mark grabbed a cup and filled it with some water.  
  
"Rinse your mouth out," Mark said sternly. Steve again did as told. Once they were done, Mark gingerly helped Steve up off the floor.  
  
"Go get some sleep; we'll talk about this tomorrow morning."  
  
"I can't," Steve whispered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Every time my eyes shut the world begins spinning out of control," Steve whispered. Mark smiled slightly, feeling bad for his child, 'ah the world of really being drunk,' Mark thought to himself.  
  
"You can sit up in your room for as long as you need to, but try and get some sleep tonight son," Mark said. Just as he was turning to leave he heard Steve call to him.  
  
"Dad," Mark turned around.  
  
"Yeah?" Mark said. His eyes met his reflection, sad, sorrow, sick, pain, tired and feeling stupid.  
  
"I... I'm sorry," Steve whispered.  
  
"I bet you are. Get some sleep son we'll talk about it in the morning," Mark said, then made his way up stairs.  
  
"How is he?" Katherine asked. Mark looked at her as she sat up in bed reading a book. He chuckled lightly.  
  
"Been waiting up this long huh?"  
  
"Couldn't help it, moms worry too. How is he?"  
  
"He's sick, feeling bad, and stupid. He drove home drunken Katie," Mark said with fear and emotion thick in his voice.  
  
"He was mad, now granted that's no excuse but did you expect him to really come home sober."  
  
"No," Mark whispered. "I swear Katie sometimes I don't know whether to grab him in a hug and never let go or to take him over my knee and give him a good whipping."  
  
"Well if I'm right and I heard what I thought I heard then I think hugging him right now is the thing he wants the most, to know just how much you love him, but you are right now is not the time, and he needs to learn his lessons."  
  
"Yeah, but it can wait till morning, lets go to sleep," Mark whispered as he laid down next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. It was about an hour later he heard his son finally come up and go to his room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Mark took his wife and daughter to church, hoping that his son would wake up on his own, he knew it wasn't fair to let his son go to church and there was no way he would leave Steve alone. Mark was acting like he was reading his paper when his son came down stairs, he was greenish gray, had puffy red eyes, his shoulders slumped.  
  
"There's some juice on the kitchen table, go drink it, you're probably dehydrated."  
  
"Can't I have something for my head?" Steve asked, Mark sighed.  
  
"I can only give you aspirin, Tylenol could harm you in a hangover," Mark said with love in his voice.  
  
"Aspirin doesn't work," Mark sighed and grabbed a couple anyway.  
  
"Try some anyway, it might help."  
  
Steve slowly walked into the kitchen and put his forehead down on the table as soon as he sat down. Mark walked in.  
  
"I don't think it'll stay down," Steve said. Mark smiled.  
  
"Try a little, you'll feel better," Steve sighed and picked up the glass, he swallowed both pills and the orange juice. He then poured himself another glass. He watched his dad sit down across from him.  
  
"Well I'd ask you how you're feeling but I have the feeling I already know," Mark said. "So did you think about last night?"  
  
"Yes sir," Steve whispered.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And I was stupid," Steve said sullenly.  
  
"Yes you were. Steve you and I have fights all the time, that's not what bothered me, you disobeyed me then you drove home drunk. Do you know what could or might have happened?"  
  
Steve said nothing, but Mark knew his son had every idea of what could or might have happened because Steve had been to the hospital enough times and saw people who had been in car wrecks, which had involved drunks.  
  
"So what do you suppose we should do about this?" Mark asked his son. Steve grimaced at the sound of his tone. Mark saw this and lightened it.  
  
"Punish me," Steve said.  
  
"Uh huh, yeah I agree, lets start with your grounded for two weeks for disobeying me, which means you go to school when I take you, you ride the bus home and you do only what your mother says you can do until I get home from work, because believe it or not Steve I'm still your father. Football games and practices are your only exceptions, you come home right after those, and you bring your sister home from play practice. You will also go upstairs and bring me your car keys," suddenly Steve slowly opened his palm revealing his car keys, he handed them to his father. Mark didn't say a word but for the first time since last night Mark was proud of his son, the young man was ready to be punished.  
  
"You'll get them back in a month," Steve said nothing.  
  
"I trust that I won't have to tell you not to do this ever again," Mark said. Steve shook his head no, making him dizzy.  
  
"Dunno why I did it this time," Steve, said honestly, "other than the fact you told me not to, didn't have any fun and I don't even like Seth," Steve whispered. Mark smiled.  
  
"Steve, son I know you want to be an adult, but lets face it son, you're a kid still. Now I will admit you are growing up, but you've got a lot of things to learn and I'd say what you did last night just reinforces that doesn't it."  
  
"It's just that I dunno, I guess I'm sick of always being called a child. I guess I don't think you trust me, that I don't make you proud. You don't think I'm smart enough."  
  
"Oh Steven, but I do. Never ever in my life will I not be proud of you, I may not like the things you do Steve, but I have always been proud of you, and I do think you're smart, very smart. Smart enough to know better. However, you are still a teenager, my son and you still have a lot to learn. Don't be in such a hurry to grow up, trust me it goes way to quickly and you'll miss it when it's gone. Steve, son I've been raising you for seventeen years, I think I usually know what's best?"  
  
"What if ya don't?" Steve asked. Mark smiled.  
  
"Then we'll learn together son, because there something you should know."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Son, do you remember when you wanted to go to military school two years ago?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"You remember what happened?"  
  
"I didn't last a week."  
  
"What happened when you came home?"  
  
"You and mom welcomed me with open arms."  
  
"Did we say we told you so?"  
  
"No sir."  
  
"My point here son, is this case is very much the same, fathers and sons should all be free to make a mistake, because that's how love works. Now do you feel like some breakfast?" Steve shook his head no gently.  
  
"All right, then you best get upstairs before your mom comes home and starts Sunday brunch," Steve turned a deeper shade of green. Mark tried to smile.  
  
"Go on son. I'll bring you some more juice," Steve nodded and headed towards the stairs but then stopped.  
  
"Dad."  
  
"Yeah Steve."  
  
"About what I said last night, I... I didn't mean it, about hating you, I could never hate you dad, I was mad, and I love you," Mark smiled.  
  
"I love you too son, and forget about what you said, because you were under the influence and things happen. I forgive you."  
  
"I'll never do it again dad, I promise."  
  
"That's good enough for me son," Mark watched his son's retreating back, and sighed. Closing his eyes he thanked God for his son coming home safe last night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Steve, honey," Katherine called. Steve turned over on his bed slowly and looked at his mother.  
  
"Hi," she smiled and moved over towards him.  
  
"Hi yourself, would you like to come down for some soup and toast?"  
  
"I might get sick," Katherine sat down beside his bed.  
  
"Well you're going to get sick if you don't get something in that stomach of yours, now why don't you come down with me and I'll see if I can't get you some soup, that shouldn't bother you far to much," she said holding her hand out. Steve of course took it and together mother and son walked downstairs. Carol got one look at her brother and started giggling. However, one stern look form her father stopped it immediately. Steve took one look at the soup and pushed it away.  
  
"I'm not hungry, sorry please excuse me," Steve said and went back to his room where he crawled back under the covers. Tears began to fall from his eyes and soon they came in sobs. He couldn't believe he had almost hit his own dad. Suddenly he felt a hand on his forehead. He looked up at his father.  
  
"I said I forgave you, I think its time to forgive yourself, you've got a fever and I have a feeling that it's not from the hangover," Mark said.  
  
"I almost hit you," Steve cried. Sitting down Mark helped his son sit up and then pulled him into his arms.  
  
"Shh, son," he whispered as he rocked back and forth, his son crying.  
  
"I'm sorry dad; I could never hurt you purposely. The thought scares me."  
  
"Shh, I know buddy. I know you're sorry. I forgive you. I love you Steve, now why don't we feed some more juice and aspirin."  
  
"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Mark smiled, and knew everything would be back to normal soon enough.  
  
"We'll see son, let's take care of your fever first okay."  
  
"Okay. Thanks dad."  
  
"You're welcome son."  
  
The End 


End file.
